E-Business
SAP’s Push for Technology in Education Continues FLL in Lagos
Annually, 29,000 children in over 80 countries around the world participate in a phenomenon known as the FIRST® LEGO® League.
This year is no different as Nigerian kids get their thinking caps on to learn and compete against their peers around the world.
In the 2015/16 FIRST® LEGO® League TRASH TREKSM Challenge FLL teams explored the fascinating world of trash. From collection to sorting, to smart production and reuse, there is more to trash than meets the eye.
The championship in Lagos at the Youth Centre Oshodi was a culmination of the intensive work carried out by students from various schools around Lagos (majority from within the Ministry of Education District VI catchment area).
The task was simple; Identify any form of trash and think of how to convert same to treasure.
The championship witnessed different innovations coming from the youngsters; from helicopter made from disused plastic and lollipop sticks to a 3-in-1 mp3 player, torch and fan, to air-conditioner made out of a disused cooler and plastic bottle caps and many more.
It only reaffirms that every problem comes with a solution and as a nation only just needs to dare to think.
The SAP FIRST LEGO League in Lagos was hosted by the Permanent Secretary Lagos State Ministry of Education District VI, Alhaja Anifowoshe and had in attendance; the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Youth and Social Development Mr. Hakeem Muri-Okunola who was in awe of the great innovations on display.
FLL challenges kids to think like scientists and engineers.
During the TRASH TREK season, teams are expected to build, test, and program an autonomous robot using LEGO MINDSTORMS® to solve a set of missions in the Robot Game.
They are also given opportunity to choose and solve a real-world question in the Project.
Throughout their experience, teams will operate under FLL’s signature set of Core Values
On the value proposition of the programme, Olajide Ade Ajayi, a support team manager at SAP, who also doubles as the coordinator, FIRST® LEGO® League Nigeria, said, “We are eternally grateful to sponsors such as SAP, NITDA and the LEGO Foundation.University of Abuja, Rivers State University of Science and Technology and MTN for spreading this initiative across Nigeria.
The programme is spreading rapidly as people and organisations are beginning to see the value and how technology can shape and transform teaching. The program combines the pedagogy of promoting STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) literacy with that of teaching social values.
He said that it is apparent that kids use technology but they are mostly not creating with technology, this is akin to learning to read but not being able to write.
“With a program like FLL, they engage in a hands-on way of learning by doing, while also learning the key skills of communication and self-expression,” Ajayi said.
He added that the objective of this program is to foster an ecosystem of creative natives who are capable of transforming their communities.
“Last year, the kids did amazing things, and this year they have exceeded our expectation,” the Coordinator said.
“Although, the FLL is an international competition it funnels down to what kids see around them. The kids in the Western world may see a mobile phone as an e-waste while in Nigeria, kids may see sachets or cans of water littered around as trash. This they can research on how to convert to something useful.
The theme for this year is aptly titled “Trash Trek”, asking kids to look at their surroundings and identify waste, and see how they can convert waste to wealth. Due to population explosion, major cities like Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt have to contend with waste management issues some of the projects by teams across these three regions centered around identify the prevalent wastes and proferring solutions to resolve the issues. For instance, the team from Great Heights School Abuja found a unique way of converting disused cans to Alum, while Glisten Academy team focussed on turning Styrofoam to sealant,” he explained.
Teaching/Learning of S.T.E.M
Ajayi, a Software Engineer with SAP in Ireland, further emphasized the need for enhanced teaching and learning of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (S.T.E.M) as critical steps to solving several technological challenges facing Africa as a continent.
“Gradually, we will get there. The teaching of technology and sciences is not a sprint, but a marathon. We have to adhere to the basic steps. This year, we witnessed the African Code-Week, a programme championed by SAP and other partners. That kind of program that ran in 18 countries is opening up the space to show that kids need to get different sets of skills. Most jobs in the 21st Century require the adept use of technology. It is pertinent that we start to impart this knowledge to our youth to prepare them for the future,” he added.
According to him, the nation needs to give the kids creative freedom and assurance that upon graduation they can create jobs and not only become mere job seekers.
“We must emphasize hands-on skills. So, as they finish school, they will realise that if the jobs are not there, they can create something. It is about changing the mindset of people,” he said.
Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has commenced a forensic investigation into the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Lotus Bank and Hackerbella Ltd over alleged violations of data protection laws involving students’ personal information.
The investigation follows public complaints alleging that students’ personal data were used to open bank accounts without a lawful basis.
Dr Vincent Olatunji, national commissioner and chief executive officer of the NDPC, directed the investigation team to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the circumstances surrounding the collection, processing, use and disclosure of the affected students’ personal data.
The investigation will also determine the respective roles and responsibilities of UNILAG, Lotus Bank and Hackerbella in the alleged processing of the data.
According to the Commission, the investigation will assess the data protection compliance obligations of the parties under the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023 (NDP Act), as well as potential risks posed to the rights and freedoms of the affected data subjects.
The NDPC said the probe would cover several areas, including Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs), the lawfulness and transparency of credit scoring or profiling activities, and the use of automated decision-making systems.
It will also examine the adequacy of privacy notices, data-sharing arrangements, lawful bases for processing, data minimisation and purpose limitation.
Other areas include data retention policies and the adequacy of technical and organisational measures put in place to safeguard the rights and personal data of affected students.
The Commission reiterated that institutions entrusted with the personal data of students, staff and other members of their communities have a heightened responsibility to ensure that such information is processed lawfully, fairly, transparently and securely.
The NDPC therefore warned educational institutions that are yet to comply with its existing data protection compliance directives to take immediate steps to achieve compliance.
The Commission said it would continue to exercise its regulatory mandate to protect the privacy rights of Nigerians and ensure that organisations processing personal data comply with the provisions of the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023.
Microsoft is planning to unveil its new Maia 300 AI chip this fall, potentially as soon as next month, The Information reported on Monday, citing people with direct knowledge of the plans.
The company introduced its Maia AI chip in November 2023 but has lagged rivals such as Alphabet and Amazon in scaling up its in-house chip efforts as it seeks to reduce its reliance on Nvidia’s costly processors.
Google began recognizing revenue from direct sales of its custom AI chips, called Tensor Processing Units, in the quarter ended June, while Amazon has also seen growing adoption of its processors, including its Trainium chips.
Microsoft has been in talks with chipmaker TSMC to secure manufacturing capacity for more than 300,000 units of the chip for delivery in 2027, according to the report. It is also looking to significantly ramp up production and persuade major cloud customers such as Anthropic to adopt the chip.
Microsoft ultimately aims to secure capacity for more than 1 million Maia 300 chips, though component supplies and ongoing capacity negotiations with TSMC could constrain its plans, according to the report.
It unveiled its second-generation Maia 200 in January, built by TSMC using 3-nanometer technology.
Microsoft packed the chip with a significant amount of SRAM, a type of memory that can provide speed advantages for AI systems handling large numbers of user requests.
X has announced plans to discontinue its Revenue Sharing programme and introduce a new Original Content Rewards programme to reward creators for producing original content on the platform.
The social media company announced the changes at the weekend in a post on its X Creators handle, saying the new programme would reward creators who contribute original content.
“Today, we’re introducing the Original Content Rewards Program, a new way to reward creators who bring original ideas, expertise, reporting, creativity, and commentary to X,” the company said.
X said it would stop accepting new enrolments into the Revenue Sharing programme from Friday, while existing participants would continue earning until September 7, 2026.
“Starting today, we’re no longer accepting new enrollments into Revenue Sharing,” it said.
According to the company, existing Revenue Sharing participants will receive three final payouts, with two scheduled for August 14 and August 28, while the final payment for earnings accrued through September 7 is expected around September 11.
X said existing Revenue Sharing participants would begin getting access to apply for the new programme from September 8, subject to meeting its eligibility requirements.
The first payout under the Original Content Rewards programme will be made on August 28, 2026, while existing Revenue Sharing creators who enrol in the new programme from September 8 will receive their first payment on September 25.
Under the new programme, eligible creators will earn from qualified impressions generated by their original content, with payments made every two weeks.
X defined qualified impressions as unique impressions from Premium users on the Home Timeline feed, where at least 50 per cent of a post is visible.
On the other hand, “The following are excluded from qualified impressions: impressions from the same account counted more than once per post; paid, promoted, or artificially generated impressions; and fraudulent impressions,” it said.
To qualify, creators must be at least 18 years old, live in a country where the programme is available, maintain an account in good standing and have either a personal or vusiness account.
They must also subscribe to X Premium, Premium+ or Premium Business, have at least 500 verified followers and record at least 500,000 Home Timeline impressions from verified users within the previous 90 days.
X said creators must also regularly post original content to remain eligible.
“We want to recognize creators who break news, share expertise, tell stories, create entertainment, and contribute meaningful perspectives to the conversation,” the company said.
The platform said original content could include threads, videos, memes, graphics, illustrations, reporting, analysis, commentary and reactions that add meaningful value to existing conversations.
It said creators who use content produced by others would need to add meaningful commentary, context, analysis, humour or creative transformation for such posts to qualify.
“Building on existing conversations is a core part of X, but simply reposting someone else’s content is not enough,” it said.
X said minor edits such as cropping, filters, borders, watermarks, speed adjustments or simple text overlays would generally not qualify as meaningful transformation on their own.
It also warned that content copied or substantially reproduced from another creator, content downloaded and re-uploaded from X or another platform without being the original author’s, automated content, disinformation and misleading content would be ineligible.
The company said accounts that violate the programme’s requirements could be temporarily or permanently removed from it, depending on the severity of the violation.
It added that creators would be responsible for ensuring they had the necessary rights, permissions or licences to use content created by others.
“Original content is content you personally create that reflects your own voice, perspective, expertise, or creativity,” X said.
The company said the new programme was intended to reward creators who make the platform more valuable by bringing original ideas and perspectives to its conversations.
“The Original Content Rewards Program is designed to reward the creators who start them, shape them, and move them forward,” it said.
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